Alas! The Bass family feud drags James into the crossfire unfairly!

The lengthy ESPN piece exposing the Lakers' internal conflicts, "From the Bass Family Feud to the Lakers' $10 Billion Sale," has captured widespread attention.

Particularly, a small segment discusses Jeanie Bass's grievances against James.

The seven main points are summarized as follows:

1. Jeanie had privately expressed that James had an overly strong sense of self.

2. She was displeased with James and his agency frequently overstepping in team affairs.

3. When James joined the Lakers, he was seen as the savior for the struggling team, with public opinion generally believing he chose the Lakers rather than the Lakers successfully recruiting him.

This upset Jeanie, as James's team had informed the Lakers as early as 2017 that he would join them as a free agent the following year.

4. The 2021 trade for Westbrook was intended to accommodate James, but the team’s record plummeted to 33 wins and 49 losses.

Jeanie was furious at James's later attitude of "avoiding responsibility" and "lack of accountability."

5. In 2022, Jeanie privately considered not renewing James’s contract and even discussed trading him to the Clippers.

6. After the Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th pick in 2024, Jeanie felt James did not show enough gratitude.

7. Reports claimed Jeanie’s 2024 contract renewal with James was "reluctant," mainly due to concerns about a PR crisis if she refused.

This sparked a frenzy of discussion among fans and media alike.

Jeanie Bass quickly responded:

“Considering all the great contributions James has made to the Lakers, it’s wrong to involve him in my family disputes. Saying he hasn’t received the gratitude he deserves is completely baseless and extremely unfair to him.”

So, what does Di Ge think about this?

In this era, there are countless media reports every day; as fans, we can only watch the spectacle.

We are not outsiders, but it’s hard to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Blindly targeting Jeanie or James to vent emotions is unnecessary.

First, it’s important to understand that Baxter Holmes’s detailed article mainly focuses on the Bass family feud and the Lakers’ ownership change...

The parts about James are only a small fraction. Many media outlets have skewed the narrative, using “Jeanie’s dissatisfaction with James” to overshadow the main story of the family conflict.

After all, James has many both critics and fans... As the league’s top star and team face, he naturally becomes the easiest “traffic anchor” to highlight.

As for the Bass family feud, it’s no secret; it’s been ongoing for decades.

The rough storyline is that after old Bass passed away in 2013, his six children had serious disagreements over Lakers management and future direction, splitting into two factions led by Jeanie Bass and Jim Bass.

Jeanie, leveraging her long-term relationship with Phil Jackson and deep involvement in team operations, gradually united Kobe, Magic, and others to overthrow Jim’s faction, regaining control in 2017 and firing GM Kupchak.

The Lakers are the Bass family’s core asset.

Without other business backing, every bit of profit from this asset is fiercely contested.

Especially after the Lakers’ $10 billion sale, disputes over profit distribution are bound to be intense.

We’ve seen similar storylines in many wealthy family inheritance battles.

At this point, such an article appearing is completely normal.

After all, it involves money and power!

So, to sum up in one sentence:The Bass family feud drags James into the mess, making him a scapegoat for attention.

James himself is being “used as a pawn,” so if you’re his fan, don’t let yourself be used the same way...

Nowadays, many people are being “used as pawns.”

Why? Because of a lack of critical thinking.

Few people have the patience to read a long article... Most only skim headlines and fragmented “sensational news.”

Social media exaggerates these conflicts endlessly, and fans get swept up emotionally, either blaming Jeanie for being ungrateful or James for being arrogant.

Finally, a few more words:If the Lakers perform poorly, negative news will only increase.

Especially, LeBron James will definitely be used as a traffic magnet.

Don’t be surprised if soon there are stories about him clashing with Doncic... Guys, do you believe that?

Therefore!

Instead of blindly joining the hype and blaming Jeanie or James, why not just think about what to order for lunch!